Smaug
by Nekal Ibea
Summary: Smaug was the son of Middle Earth's most feared dragon. He destroyed kingdoms and slew many over the course of his lifetime. But what no one knew was that a half-Elven princess had a hand in his demise, as well as her own. The origin of the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities is revealed in this story full of war, courage, and tragedy. This is the tale of Smaug.


**Hello, everyone. This is the first of many fan fictions I plan to post here and I really hope you enjoy it. Since no one has really tried to write a backstory for Smaug, I figured I'd have a go at it. This is the final result, with sources stemming from the original book, _The Desolation of Smaug_, _The Battle of the Five Armies_, and _The Silmarillion_. Hope you enjoy! **

**For future reference and those who don't know how to pronounce it, Aoife's name is pronounced Ee-fuh. Hope this helps. ^_^**

_**The**_** _Hobbit _and _The Silmarillion _(c) J.R.R. Tolkien **

**Utumkodur, Throkmaw, and Ruingurth (c) Iron Crown Enterprises, part of the _Creatures of Middle Earth_ Role-Playing game**

**No copyright infringement is intended. This story was written for the fans by a fan. **

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><p>Rivendell, as well as Middle Earth was celebrating peace at last, as well as mourning a heartbreaking loss. Smaug the dragon had been slain, the Battle of Five Armies won, and Bilbo Baggins was home at last after a long journey. But this story does involve our favorite Hobbit, just not quite yet. There is someone else at the center of this story that has yet to be mentioned. This someone is a princess from long ago who has since passed on to the next world and is the reason for Rivendell's mourning.<p>

Her name was Princess Aoife and she came from a kingdom that was destroyed back in the Third Age of Middle Earth, but we'll get to that part of this tale in a while. For now, let's focus on the princess herself. She used to reside in the halls of Erebor until she escaped the grasp of Smaug, ultimately paying her debt to the line of Durin with her life. But there is more to this princess than meets the eye. You see, the princess knew the dragon Smaug better than anyone else in Middle Earth and loved Bilbo Baggins more than the dragon could have ever comprehended. But what caused Smaug to kill her in the end? To answer this question, we must go back to the beginning of Arda, when the world was new and Morgoth was in the heat of battle. For it was during the first five hundred years of the First Age that Morgoth began to breed a new kind of weapon, dragons. The father of these terrifying yet magnificent creatures is Glaurung. He was hard to tame, even while still young, for this dragon attacked during the Siege of Angband and drove back the Noldor. Morgoth did not allow him out for another two hundred years, which was about the time it took for him to reach maturity. This can be assumed that all dragons take about four hundred years or so to mature and cause as much mayhem and desolation as possible.

But, for the sake of time, we must skip ahead to the sixth century of the First Age to the War of Wrath. Morgoth was losing the battle to the Valar, who were slowly picking off his army of Orcs. Nasty creatures, Orcs. They can cause some real damage if you don't watch yourself. But let us digress back to Morgoth. He realized that, in order to stand a chance at winning, he was going to have to introduce a new kind of dragon, one that had never been seen before in Middle Earth…winged drakes. The greatest of all these drakes, and the winged drakes, was a terrible dragon named Ancalagon the Black. Gandalf has mentioned him in passing once to young Frodo Baggins, but that is not important at the moment. Ancalagon was born some-time within the first one hundred years of the First Age and had to grow to maturity before he bred dragons with other Maiar, or spirits that came to help settle the world that were turned to evil. Together, they bred dragons, which inherited the Maiar's immortality, of all kinds: cold drakes, fire drakes, wingless drakes, winged drakes, or any kind of drakes that you could imagine. One of these dragons would later be known as one of the greatest and most terrifying of all the dragons in Middle Earth's history. He would go on to cause desolation and destruction to most of the north and cause fear and terror in the hearts of men. This was one of Ancalagon's sons, the second eldest of his offspring, to whom he gave the name Smaug.

This is where Smaug finally enters the picture and the world. No one is really sure exactly when Smaug was born, but he was most likely born in the fourth century of the First Age. He was born with majestic golden scarlet scales and golden eyes as bright as the sun. His elder sister by about fifty years or so, Utumkodur, was not too happy about the new addition to the army, as most dragons (and most people, to be honest) are, but it would be her responsibility to teach Smaug all that he needed to know. But first, like all creatures before them, Smaug had to learn the most basic of skills…how to crawl.

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><p>Smaug, still a newborn dragon of about two weeks by this point in time, was continuing to teach himself how to crawl on his winged arms, but was having very little success. Regrettably, one trait all dragons have is impatience and Smaug is no exception to this. Even Utumkodur was becoming impatient with her younger brother and went to her father to discuss the young drake.<p>

"He is not learning as fast as he would like, and I," Utumkodur said, irritation in her voice, "He should already be speaking, Father."

"Yes, he should," Ancalagon agreed, glancing at his son, "especially since Morgoth is at war right now with the Valars and their pathetic armies. But wasn't it your job to help him learn, my daughter?"

"It is, Father, but I cannot imagine helping a weakling who cannot even stand on his own winged arms!"

What happened next was Smaug's first bought of anger. In fact, he was so angry that he blew a small fireball at his own sister! Ancalagon wasn't usually prone to genuine laughter, but, even to a great and powerful dragon such as himself, Smaug getting back at his sister was very entertaining.

"Well, Smaug, I see your fire power comes naturally to you," Ancalagon praised, "but do work on walking. There is a war out there and Morgoth needs us to be prepared when the time comes for it."

"Father, when will that be?" Utumkodur asked, now recovered from her younger brother's attack.

"Whenever we are needed, my daughter. Now go and help your brother. He must learn fast."

As Ancalagon turned to leave, he heard his young son make a noise or two coming from his mouth. This noise can best be described like a mouse that has been captured by a cat and was about to meet his demise. He turned and watched Smaug, Utumkodur doing the same, as the dragon began to find his voice.

"F-F-Fa…ther?" Smaug inquired, shocking his family.

"He's speaking, Father!" Utumkodur exclaimed, showing just the smallest semblance of happiness.

"Indeed, he is," Ancalagon agreed, "Now if only he could just walk."

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><p>Before Ancalagon could count the number of chickens he'd eaten in a month, Smaug had begun to walk and was speaking quite proficiently. Then again, about forty years had passed since his birth after all. In this time, Ancalagon had fathered two more dragons, Smaug's younger brother, Throkmaw, and his younger sister, Ruingurth.<p>

Oh, my goodness! I forgot to talk about Smaug's siblings in my rush to tell you his story. Let's start with Utumkodur. As stated before, she is the eldest of Ancalagon's children, but her scales are an emerald color with a hint of blue to them. In terms of dragon standards, she was a beauty. Her eyes, like Smaug's were as golden as the brightest piece of gold. Ancalagon took great pride in his daughter, for she was the strongest of his siblings, growing in strength day by day. As it was her duty with Smaug, she taught the young ones how to talk, walk, and speak before they reached the age of one hundred. Well, this isn't exactly true with Smaug. You see, he taught himself to spite his older sister. Even from birth, Smaug was slightly vindictive towards his elder sister. All dragons have some kind of vanity problem as well, I'm afraid. They have a lot of problems, dragons. But then again, this is what happens when a Maia of evil creates dragons, I suppose. I have been digressing again, forgive me. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, Utumkodur. Let me tell you all a secret. Female dragons are usually weaker than their male counterparts, but Utumkodur was as strong as any male dragon. Not as strong as her father, of course. He was the chiefest of calamities, after all. She could easily best Smaug in battle and had given him a scar or two to prove her superiority over him. Thus explains why Smaug holds such a vain grudge on his sister. You can't really blame him, either. A female leading a pack of dragons is unheard of, even in these times. So, naturally, he wanted to best his sister, even if it meant taking a few hits along the way.

Then there is Smaug's younger brother by almost ten years or so, Throkmaw. Smaug, surprisingly, had a bit of a soft spot for his younger brother (although his pride wouldn't let him admit it, he also favored his little sister, too) and took it upon himself to teach Throkmaw the rules of being a dragon. Throkmaw, like his brother, has golden scarlet scales that occasionally flickered in the light, but his eyes were quite unusual for a dragon. He had one eye that was green as the grass below him and one eye that was as blue as the ocean. Smaug saw this as a sign that his brother was destined for greatness and would often train with him, sometimes gently and other times not so gently. But, nevertheless, Throkmaw was beginning to thrive, especially after a training accident with Utumkodur. If you had even mentioned this to Smaug while he was still alive, he would have incinerated you in a heartbeat. Utumkodur, wanting to teach her younger brother who was in charge, slashed at his face with her talons. Poor Throkmaw lost one if his eyes because of that move. Smaug, who would not accept this, fought his sister for many hours, Throkmaw begging his brother and sister to stop fighting.

"Please stop this fighting, brother," Throkmaw said as Smaug landed bite after bite on his sister's neck, "I am not strong enough to take on Utumkodur yet. Please, let this be!"

"I took similar attacks when I was your age, Throkmaw!" Smaug roared, "I will not allow Utumkodur to belittle you as she did to me!" With that, Smaug used his tail to throw his sister to the ground, landing on top of her, ready to kill her if he needed to. Utumkodur, knowing that she had been bested (for now, she mentally added), allowed Smaug to take the glory and return his attention to Throkmaw. It was rare that Smaug showed his younger brother he cared, but an unnecessary attack was another matter to him. He curled next to his younger brother and the two lay down together, Smaug letting his clawed wing cover his brother protectively.

"You must learn how to fight, Throkmaw," Smaug advised, "otherwise you will not be able to conquer any enemies."

"Who are our enemies, brother?" Throkmaw asked, the pain in his eye subsiding.

"The Valar. They are beings who protect the light."

"Have you ever seen the light, brother?"

"Perhaps once before. Now, get some rest, Throkmaw. Healed or not, your training resumes tomorrow."

"Yes, brother."

I am fairly certain that reading the above might have surprised you, but don't be. All creatures, from the most evil of dragons to the smallest Hobbit, love their kin. Smaug is no exception to this, especially with his younger sister and the youngest of Ancalagon's children, Ruingurth. Ruingurth, like her siblings before her, is ten years younger than Throkmaw and her scales are the most like her father's. Her scales were a rich navy blue color, almost as blue as the night sky. Her eyes were also golden, so there isn't really anything new with her. But Smaug and Throkmaw cared for her and trained her to be strong. However, that training would come to an abrupt end one day when Ancalagon returned home to his children and told them of what was happening in the outside world.

"Morgoth is beginning to lose the war," he alerted his children, "It won't be long before we are brought into battle."

"But what of Throkmaw and Ruingurth?" Utumkodur questioned, "Smaug is ready, but not them."

"We will all have to fight. We are five of many winged drakes, my children, and we shall defend Angband until our dying breaths. Some of us may live, others may not." Ancalagon looked at his children, especially at Ruingurth, then continued, "Resume training while you can. We could be called into battle at any moment."

As he flew off, Utumkodur turned to her siblings, "You heard Father, Smaug, get back to training them."

"Do not think I won't maim you again, sister," Smaug taunted.

"Brother, why must we fight?" Ruingurth asked, shocking Smaug, "We'll all die in the end, won't we?"

"Do not speak of death as if you accept it already, Ruingurth. We are immortal beings, and powerful ones at that. Death will not come so easily to us."

"That's not what I mean. Throkmaw and I are not at full strength. We will certainly die in battle."

"As long as you continue your training until the moment we are called into battle, you shall be fine," Utumkodur responded, impatient, "Now do as Father told you." As she crawled away, Ruingurth made a shocking reply.

"No, I won't."

Turning to face her sister, Utumkodur seethed, "Come again?"

"I won't train. If war is all about strength and not planning your moves, then I'd rather be the weakest dragon in Middle Earth." She turned her head in the direction of Smaug and Throkmaw, "Please, brothers, understand where I am coming from. I don't want to be strong. You can only get so far with that. We're all intelligent, so let's use our brains rather than our brawn."

"I do see where you are coming form, sister," Throkmaw responded, nodding in agreement, "but if you don't have even a little strength, you'll be killed instantly. Even I don't want that."

"Let her die if she so chooses," Utumkodur said, "If she wants to strategize all day long and put off her training, let her. Her death will be of no concern to me."

"Then you have too much arrogance, sister," Ruingurth said, now defiant, "That will be your downfall."

Utumkodur, not able to hold in her anger any longer, lashed out at Ruingurth, ready to kill the young dragon for her defiance. Throkmaw tried to help, but Smaug held him back.

"Ruingurth will have to learn that defying what you were bred to do is not accept-able," he said, despite how much he, himself, wanted to help his sister.

Ruingurth, who hardly had any strength to speak of, could only take the bites and slashes that Utumkodur gave her. Smaug and Throkmaw could only watch as she was brought near death, but they were given a shock when Utumkodur snapped her neck, causing a resounding crack. The young dragon collapsed to the ground, now lifeless. Utumkodur snorted in approval.

"There is no use for weaklings in this family," she said.

Throkmaw dashed over to his sister, nudging his face against hers to try and wake her, but to no avail. His eyes flashed with anger as he turned to Utumkodur, "You murderer. You killed our sister!"

"She would have held us back in battle, Throkmaw. Don't waste your time mourning and get back to training."

Growling fiercely, Throkmaw attacked his sister, biting her and slashing at her, just as Utumkodur did to Ruingurth. Knowing that his father would be returning soon with news, Smaug broke up the fight to the best of his ability, using each of his wings to separate his siblings.

"Smaug, don't hold me back!" Throkmaw yelled, "Ruingurth needs to be avenged!"

"You cannot possibly hope to avenge that weakling of a sibling!" Utumkodur roared, "She didn't deserve to live!"

"She didn't deserve death, Utumkodur! Now, Smaug, let me at her or I shall have to hurt you as well."

Heavily considering the idea, mainly due to his own grudge against Utumkodur, Smaug said, "If I let you at her, do not go easy on her." He turned to his sister, a smirk on his face, "Make her regret killing our younger sister. Avenge Ruingurth."

Smaug took his claw away from Throkmaw, who instantly flew over to his sister and began chewing at her, not wanting her to get away. Smaug simply laid down and watched as Throkmaw tested his strength on his sister, just as Smaug had done earlier in his life. He wasn't ashamed in the least bit to say that seeing Throkmaw maul his sister was very much a pleasurable sight to watch.

Now, I must warn the younger ones who have picked up this tale that the contents about to be seen will be somewhat disturbing in detail. For Throkmaw, in his thirst for vengeance, managed to grab a hold of his sister's neck and began to wring it with his mouth. Desperate to get her brother off of him, Utumkodur slashed at his underbelly, wounding the dragon. Not wanting to take anymore of his sister's arrogance and pride, Throkmaw shoved his claws into her chest, penetrating her heart. Smaug didn't even cringe at the action, although he did wonder why he never did the same thing sooner. Retracting his claws, Throkmaw shoved his dead sister away from him, panting heavily from the battle. Smaug went over to his brother and said, "You have done the right thing, Throkmaw. Ruingurth has been avenged."

"And damn Utumkodur into the Next World," Throkmaw seethed.

"You should have tried burning her eyes. It would have helped you to some extent."

"No, brother. I wanted her dead and I have slain our sister, just as she slew ours."

"I've wanted her dead my whole life. From the moment we met, I hated her and knew she would be trouble. But I wasn't about to risk my life to take her out, no matter how angry I got at her. I had no idea that she would get you so angry as to commit murder of your own kin."

"And I do not regret it, Smaug. She had it coming to her."

"What better way to be taken out than by your own kin."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly."

The sound of a hurricane alerted them to the return of Ancalagon, which neither of them wanted at the moment. But, nonetheless, he had to be faced with the reality that two of his children were killed, each driven by a different motivation. Ancalagon, sensing something was wrong, glanced around and saw the bodies of Ruingurth and Utumkodur, both bloodied and somewhat mangled. Turning to his sons, he boomed, "Who did this?! Who killed my daughters!"

"I killed Utumkodur, Father," Throkmaw confessed, now fearless of any consequences, "Utumkodur killed Ruingurth because she refused to fight and wanted to use strategy instead. In a fit of rage, I murdered my sister. Forgive me, Father."

Taking a second look at Utumkodur, then at Ruingurth, Ancalagon said, "Utumkodur killed her sister because of her intelligence. She wanted no one to surpass her in anything. Ruingurth was seen as a threat and dealt with as a threat. As for you, Throkmaw, you killed your sister out of a personal vendetta for Ruingurth's death. That shows a strong loyalty to your family, son. Although, if I might confess to the both of you, I was waiting for the moment one of you would take out Utumkodur. She was beginning to scare me. Besides, no one wants a female dragon leading a group into battle. That's absurd."

"I just hated her," Smaug admitted, slightly muttering the sentence.

"She could be a pain in everyone's behinds, but she is gone and dealt with. Now, the news I bring comes at a good time for you, Throkmaw. You have proven yourself strong enough to go into battle alongside your brother and myself. We will all have to go to battle very soon."

"How soon?" Throkmaw asked.

"At dawn's light."


End file.
